Indicator device

ABSTRACT

An indicator device which is small in size but large in indication capacity and adapted for use in television receiving sets for indicating the channel numbers of VHF and UHF telecasting stations, said indicator device having a rotary drum bearing on the outer peripheral surface characters desired to be indicated arranged in groups in the axial direction of said drum and driven automatically intermittently, and pointers being movable axially and along said rotary drum to point to a selected one of said characters.

United States Patent Saruwatari May 28, 1974 INDICATOR DEVICE 3,l87,7l3 6/1965 Fenwick ll6/|24.3

[75] Inventor: Shigeto Saruwatari,Chigasaki,

Japan Primary ExaminerLouis l. Capozi [73] Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., g g Agent or FlrmT'stevens y' Mme? Ltd, Osaka, Japan 05 er [22] Filed: Dec. 27, 1972 211 App]. No.: 318,767 ABSTRACT An indicator device which is small in size but large in [30] Foreign Application Priority Data indication capacity and adapted for use in television Dec. 28, 1971 Japan 46-3902 receiving Sets for indicating the channel numbers of VHF and UHF telecasting stations, said indicator de- 52 U.S. Cl 116/1241, 325/464, 334/87 vice ng a ary drum bearing on the outer periph- [51] Int. Cl. H03j 1/02 era! Surface characters desired to be indicated ar- [58] Field of Search 116/ 124.1, 124.2, 124.3, ranged in g p n h xi l irection of aid rum 116/133 135; 334/37; 325/464 and driven automatically intermittently, and pointers .b i abl 211,19 1 nd alqias 191m drum I9 [56] References Cited point to a selected one of said characters.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,746,419 5/1956 Serge 334/87 x 4 Claims 4 Drawing Figures mrwcnmz m4 3812. 18

1 INDICATOR DEVICE This invention relates to an indicator device which is small in size but large in indication capacity and adapted for use in television receiving sets for indicating the channel numbers of VHF and UHF telecasting stations.

Conventional indicators include a type in which a disc or drum bearing a large number of characters thereon is rotated relative to an indication window of a size just large enough to expose one of the characters to a fixed pointer, and a type in which a pointer is moved relative to a fixed flat strip having a large number of characters marked thereon. These types of indicator are simple in construction on one hand, but on the other hand, have the disadvantage that the number of characters desired to be indicated is limited. There is also known a digital counter type indicator. This type has the advantage that the number of characters desired to be indicated can be increased indefinitely by increasing the number of columns, but on the other hand, has the disadvantage that its construction becomes complicated.

It is, therefore, the object of the present invention to provide an indicator device which is free of such disadvantages of the conventional indicators and which has a large indication capacity and yet is simple in construction.

The present invention will be described in detail hereunder by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. I is a front elevational view of an embodiment of the indicator device according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the indicator device;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the counter gear mechanism; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line IV IV of FIG. 3.

With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the indicator device of the invention includes an axially elongate indicator drum 1. The outer peripheral surface of the indicator drum 1 is circumferentially equally divided into a plurality of axially elongate sections la In (seven sec tions in the embodiment shown) and a plurality of characters (10 characters in the embodiment shown) are arranged on each surface section axially of the drum in equally spaced side-by-side relation. Namely, in the embodiment shown, numbers from 1 to 70 are divided into seven groups each consisting of 10 numbers and said groups of numbers are placed on the surface sections la In of the indicator drum I respectively. A drive shaft 2 is extended through the center of the drum 1 and a drive gear 3 is provided at one end (at the right hand end in the embodiment shown) of said drive shaft for rotation integrally with said drive shaft and concurrently rotatably supporting one end of said drum 1. A drum gear 4 is provided near the other end (the left hand end in the embodiment shown) of the shaft 2. This drum gear 4 is fixed integrally to the other end of the drum 1 and is rotatable independently of the shaft 2. A feed gear 6 is also provided at the other end of the shaft 2 for rotation integrally with said shaft, and further, idle gears 7, 8 are provided which are fixedly mounted on a common shaft and meshing with the feed gear 6 and drum gear 4 respectively. These feed gear 6 and idle gears 7, 8 constitute a counter gear mechanism for the drum gear 4 as will be described later with reference to FIG. 3. The arrangement is such that the indicator drum 1 is angularly displaced a fraction (one seventh in the embodiment shown) of its full revolution on every revolution of the drive shaft 2. Provided in front of the indicator drum 1 is an indicator panel 9 which has a longitudinally elongate indication window 10 formed therein at such a location that the numberbearing surface sections of the indicator drum 1 may be visible therethrough one at a time, said indication window 10 being formed by making that portion of the indicator panel transparent or by forming an opening at that portion. An endless belt ll, such as a rubber belt, is extended on the backside of the indicator panel 9, surrounding the indication window 10. This endless belt 11 is engaged around a total of four pulleys, i.e. pulleys l2, 15 provided on one side and pulleys l3, 14 provided on the other side of the indication window 11, and one of said pulleys, e.g. the pulley 12, is operatively connected to the drive shaft 2 through a large bevel gear 16 provided integrally with the feed gear 6 and a small bevel gear 17 provided integrally with said pulley, to be driven thereby. The arrangement is such that the endless belt 11 is driven, on every revolution of the drive shaft 2, a distance I just equal to the axial length of the number-bearing surface sections of the indicator drum 1. The total length of the endless belt 11 is so determined that it is a multiple of an integer (four-fold in the embodiment shown) of the distance I mentioned above. Further, the endless belt 11 carries a plurality (four in the embodiment shown) of pointers 18a, 18b thereon at an interval equal to the distance I, in such a manner that each pointer will appear in the indication window 10 only when it travels in one direction (from the left to right in the embodiment shown) longitudinally of said indication window, to point the desired number on the surface section of the indicator drum I appearing in said indication window. Reference numerals I9, 20 designate brackets supporting the drive shaft 2 and pulleys l2-l5, and 21 designates a drive gear for driving the drive gear 3, which is operatively connected to a rotary shaft 24 of a tuner 23 of a television receiving set.

In FIGS. 3 and 4 is shown in detail one form of the aforesaid counter gear mechanism. The feed gear 6 consists of a disc having a projecting pin 22 thereon, and the idle gear 7 is in engagement with said feed gear, with one of arcuate surface sections in contact therewith. The idle gear 7 stands immovably while. the disc is rotating in contact with the arcuate surface section of said idle gear, but is angularly displaced one seventh of its full revolution when the pin 22 is engaged in one of notches formed in said idle gear. Thus, the idle gear 7 stands still in the major period of one revolution of the disc but turns in a short period of the same. The turn of the idle gear 7 is transmitted through the gears 8, 4 to the drum 1 to rotate said drum.

Now, the operation of the indicator device constructed as described above will be explained with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. Suppose that the surface section 1a of the indicator drum 1, bearing the numbers from 1 to 10, is appearing in the indication window 10 and the pointer 18a is pointing to the number 1. When the drive shaft 2 is rotated under such condition, the rotation of said drive shaft 2 is transmitted through the bevel gears l6, 17 to the pulley 12 to drive said pulley and, therefore, the endless belt 11, but not transmitted to the drive gear 4 until said drive shaft 2 makes a complete revolution, so that the indicator drum 1 is held stationary during this period. Therefore, the pointer 18a travels along the surface section In of the indicator drum 1, appearing in the indication window 10, longitudinally of said indication window while pointing sequentially the numbers 1 to marked on said surface section. When the drive shaft 2 has completed its one revolution and the pointer 18a has passed the position of the number 10, the indicator drum 1 is angularly displaced one seventh of its full revolution by the drum gear 4 through the feed gear 6 and idle gears 7, 8, and the next surface section lb of the indicator drum 1, bearing the numbers 11 to 20, now appears in the indication window 10. At the same time, the next pointer 18b is located in the position of the number 11. The pointer 1817 now travels along the indication window incident to the rotation of the drive shaft 2, while pointing to the numbers 11 to 20 sequentially. As the drive shaft 2 is driven further, the surface sections 1c 1n, respectively bearing the numbers 21 to 30, 31 to 40, 41 to 50, 60 to 70, sequentially appear in the indication window 10 and any one of the pointers 18a 18d sweeps along each surface section, pointing to the numbers on said surface section in sequence.

The indicator device of the invention described and illustrated herein has the advantage that it is capable of indicating an extremely large number of characters as a whole because, while the number of characters on each surface section of the indicator drum appearing in the indication window is small, the indicator drum has a plurality of surface sections each bearing the number of characters, which are successively exposed to the outside through the indication window, and the range of indication is extremely wide because these characters are pointed one after another by a plurality of pointers which sweep the indication window one after another. Further, the indicator device of the invention is advantageous over the conventional digital counter type indicator in that it is simple in construction and hence can be produced at a low cost.

The indicator device of the invention is highly adapted for use in television receiving sets for indicating the channel numbers of VHF and UHF telecasting stations.

What is claimed is:

1. An indicator device comprising an indicator drum having the outer peripheral surface thereof divided circumferentially into n axially elongated sections, wherein n is an integer equal to or greater than two, each surface bearing thereon a plurality of spaced characters; a gear mechanism operatively connected to said drum for displacing said drum intermittently through an angle equal to l/n of its full revolution; means for operating said gear mechanism; endless belt means operatively connected to saidgear mechanism; a plurality of pointers affixed to said endless belt means at intervals equal to the axial length of said sections; and indicating window means provided adjacent said drum for indicating the characters on each said section according to the displacement of said drum, said pointers being located to sweep said indicating window means longitudinally one after another to point to the characters on each said section of the indicator drum appearing in said indicating window means during operation of said operating means.

2. An indicator device according to claim 1 wherein said means for operating said gear mechanism comprises the rotary shaft of a television receiver tuner.

3. An indicator device according to claim 1, in which said endless belt means comprises a plurality of pulleys, and an endless belt engaged around said pulleys and carrying said pointers, said pulleys being arranged such that one of the longitudinal lengths of said endless belt is located immediately adjacent the indication window means and the other one of them is located sufficiently remote from said indication window, so that only the pointer moving in one direction may appear in the indication window.

4. An indicator device as defined by claim 1 wherein said gear mechanism comprises a feed gear coupled to said means for operating said gear mechanism, said feed gear having a projecting pin thereon; an idle gear intermittently coupled to the projecting pin on said feed gear and being rotated thereby; and means coupling said idle gear to said indicator drum. 

1. An indicator device comprising an indicator drum having the outer peripheral surface thereof divided circumferentially into n axially elongated sections, wherein n is an integer equal to or greater than two, each surface bearing thereon a plurality of spaced characters; a gear mechanism operatively connected to said drum for displacing said drum intermittently through an angle equal to 1/n of its full revolution; means for operating said gear mechanism; endless belt means operatively connected to said gear mechanism; a plurality of pointers affixed to said endless belt means at intervals equal to the axial length of said sections; and indicating window means provided adjacent said drum for indicating the characters on each said section according to the displacement of said drum, said pointers being located to sweep said indicating window means longitudinally one after another to point to the characters on each said section of the indicator drum appearing in said indicating window means during operation of said operating means.
 2. An indicator device according to claim 1 wherein said means for operating said gear mechanism comprises the rotary shaft of a television receiver tuner.
 3. An indicator device according to claim 1, in which said endless belt means comprises a plurality of pulleys, and an endless belt engaged around said pulleys and carrying said pointers, said pulleys being arranged such that one of the longitudinal lengths of said endless belt is located immediately adjacent the indication window means and the other one of thEm is located sufficiently remote from said indication window, so that only the pointer moving in one direction may appear in the indication window.
 4. An indicator device as defined by claim 1 wherein said gear mechanism comprises a feed gear coupled to said means for operating said gear mechanism, said feed gear having a projecting pin thereon; an idle gear intermittently coupled to the projecting pin on said feed gear and being rotated thereby; and means coupling said idle gear to said indicator drum. 